Setting apparatus for textile fabrics



Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July 18, 1950 13 Sheets-Sheet 1 F1 i93 I IN VEN TOR.

1 5:6); y iz'cizzer P 14, 1954 H. RICHTER SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS l3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 18, 1950 Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July 18, 1950 13 Sheets-Sheet 3 5 4 620, Z1 6:5 J36 d Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS l3 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 18, 1950 Sept. 14, 1954 RlcHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July 18, 1950 l3 Sheets-Sheet 5 g a INIfENTOR.

g: fg gh g fevg 'ymc @5 Q7 M w M P 14, 1954 H. RICHTER SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS 13 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 18, 1950 INVENTOR. Henzyficfzix ii 7 J75 Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July 18, 1950 13 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVEN TOR.

Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS 7 Filed July 18, 1950 1s Sheets-Sheet 8 105a J05 1&5 F

Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July 18, 1950 13 Sheets-Sheet 9 F12. 3 mm jzszz IN V E N TOR.

P 14, 1954 H. RICHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July 18, 1950 13 Sheets-Sheet 10 O K) 21 J25 J22 6 I A ,7 l I?! .7 13g U I II I 2 m i 2.127 H 1 I I .Z3QQ I -Z5c i i 28 i1 *--2515 5;; 5 iii 129 :1 I i i i 420. 119-i- -i I 128 i i i b a I) I: i I I 1 I 153 l9! lg] 26 Ami-*2 ;@-120 256 I H H 252: "a Y Y EW QL E Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July 18, 1950 13 Sheets-Sheet ll Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July, 18, 1950 1s Sheets-Sheet 12 IN V EN TOR.

BY Henry Richter Sept. 14, 1954 H. RICHTER 2,689,071

SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Filed July 18, 1950 13 Sheets-Sheet 13 Power Source.

IN V EN TOR.

Henry Pic/2 fer. f

BY I M%( WZQJ,

Patented Sept. 1!}, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SETTING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE FABRICS Henry Richter, Kankakee, 111., assignor to Paramount Textile Machinery '00., Kankakee, 111., a. corporation of Illinois Application July 18, 1950, Serial No. 174,453

19 Claims. 1

in some respects over that described and claimed in my prior United States Letters Patent No. 2,451,978, granted October 19, 1948.

Shaped textile articles formed from nylon yarn, such as hosiery, are commonly subjected to a socalled presetting operation on forms of the required shapes in the presence of saturated steam for the purpose of reducin the resiliency of the knitted loops and removing the natural wrinkles of the loose fabric, thereby causing the articles to retain the shapes of the forms during subsequent washing and use. The setting treatment is carried on at a high temperature, preferably of from 240 Fahrenheit to 260 F. fora limited period and at a pressure above that of the atmosphere, thus necessitating the use of a closed chamber or retort in which the articles are contained during the operation.

In said Letters Patent there is disclosed a form of apparatus comprising a verticalretort having an upright door which is mounted on the inside of the retort and held in its closed position by internal steam pressure during the treatment of the hosiery. That door carries on its opposite sides two sets of forms for the hosiery or other fabric articles to be treated, so that one set of forms may be on-the inside of the door within the retort for treatment at the same time that the other set or forms is on the outside of the retort accessible to the operator for preboarding and stripping operations. That form of apparatus has the advantagaamong others, that a substantially continuous setting operation may be carried on by the use of the two sets of forms insuccession without seriously interruptin the activities of the operator in stripping theset hosiery .from one set of forms and placing untreated hosiery thereon.

The present invention provides an improvement upon the apparatus disclosed in said Letters Patent in that the door carrying two sets of boarding forms on its opposite sides is mounted on the outside of the retort and is rotatable about a vertical axis so that either set of forms may be presented to the interior of the retort to be subjected to the action of steam for setting purposes when the door is closed. With that arrangement, there is retained the advantage of the prior invention in that one set offorms is accessible to the operator on the outside of the retort While hosiery is being treated upon the other set of forms within the retort and it has the advantage that, since the door "is on the outside of the retort, the area of the retort may be relatively small, sufficient only to accommodate the forms which are Within the retort, so that the volume of space to be filled with steam during the treatment is substantially reduced as compared with that required by the operation of the apparatus or the prior invention and the cost of operation is correspondingly lower.

A further improvement of the present invention lies in the fact that provision is made for subjecting the hosiery on the forms in the retort to the action of currents of hot air which are automaticallyinjected as soon as the steam treatment is completed so that the hosiery on the forms within the retort is quickly dried and the door may be opened and reversed in its position after a relatively-short interval to present a new batch of hosiery on the other set of forms within the retort for treatment, thereby greatly speeding up the operations of the apparatus and increasing the production as compared with the practice of the invention of said Letters Patent where theretatable door is located within the retort and no provision "is made for effectin a quick drying of the hosiery after the setting has taken place.

Still another object of the invention is to provide improved means for mounting the door on the outside of the retort for permitting the quick reversal of its position about a vertical axis so that either set of forms may be presented to the interior of the retort .as desired. A further objectis to'provide improved means for latching the door in its closed position and to provide improved clamping mechanisinfor holding the 'door in its closed position against the pressure-of the steam which is introduced into the retort for setting purposes.

A turther'ob'ject of the invention is to provide improved automatic controlling apparatus by which the sequence of operations carried out in the practice of the present invention is automatically controlled and effected in proper sequence and time duration. This control apparatus includes means for automatically operating the clamping means to hold the door in its closed position, means for introducing steam into the closed chamber, means for automatically operating louvers which control the opening and closing of the chamber, means for-automatically introducing heated air into the chamber after the.

steam treating operation and after we louvers have been opened, and means for automatically preventing the admission of steam to the retort when either the door or the louvers are open. Other objects relate to Various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of setting apparatus embodying the features of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a top plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1; s

Fig. 3 shows a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3a is a View of one of the switch operating cams;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing the door clamps in closed position;

Fig. 5 is a similar section taken on the same line 4--4 of Fig. 3 showing the door clamps in open position;

Fig. 6 shows a plan view of the operating mechanism located in the lower part of the housing shown in Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through the clutch mechanism shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 shows an enlarged vertical section through the retort and the inlet and exhaust conduits showing the means for introducing hot air and exhausting air and steam from the retort;

Fig. 9 shows an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6 showing the relative positions of the cams for controlling the clutch of the driving mechanism and the louvers of the drying system in the positions which they occupy when a cycle of operations of the apparatus has just been completed;

Fig. 9a shows the relative positions of the parts of the clutch when the parts of the control mechanism are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 10 is a sectionalview similar to that of Fig. 9 illustrating the relative positions of the parts when the clutch members are engaged and the latch levers have been moved to a position 1 to lock the clutch operating lever against movement;

Fig. 10a shows the relative positions of the parts of the clutch when the parts of the control mechanism are in the relative positions shown in r Fig. 10;

Fig. 11 is a sectional View similar to that of Fig. 9 showing the relative position of the parts of the control mechanism when one latch lever has been disengaged from the clutch operating lever; V

Fig. 11a shows the clutch members partially disengaged to correspond to the position of the disengaged latch member illustrated in Fig. 11;

Fig. 12 is a sectional View similar to that of Fig. 9 showing the relative positions of the parts of the control mechanism after both latch levers have been disengaged from the clutch operating lever, thus permitting the clutch members to disengage completely, this being the condition which exists when steam is admitted to the retort and the louvers are closed;

Fig. 12a shows the relative positions of the parts of the clutch members when the parts of 4 the control mechanism occupy the relative positions illustrated in Fig. 12;

Fig. 13 is a sectional View similar to that of Fig. 9 showing the relative positions of the parts of the control mechanism upon further rotation of the cams after engagement of the clutch members, this being the condition which exists when the blower is about to come on to introduce hot air into the retort and when the clutch members are about to be disengaged Fig. 13a shows the relative positions of the clutch members when the parts of the control mechanism are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 13;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 9 showing the relative positions of the parts of the control mechanism after the louvers have been opened and the blower has been put into operation to introduce hot air into the retort with the clutch members disengaged;

Fig. 1411 shows the relative positions of the parts of the clutch members when the parts of the control mechanism occupy the relative positions illustrated in Fig. 14;

Fig. 15 shows a side elevation of one of the door latches which serves to ,hold the door temporarily in closed position preliminary to the operation of the door clamps for holding the door;

Fig. 16 shows a horizontal section through parts of the door and the retort illustrating, in plan view, the door latches at opposite sides of the door;

Fig. 1'7 is a diagrammatic view of the circulatory system by which steam and hot air are introduced into the retort and exhausted therefrom; and

Figs. 18a and 182) show a diagram of the electric circuit by which the sequence of operations of the various parts of the apparatus is controlled. I

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention is embodied in a form of apparatus comprising an upright channel-shaped metallic vessel 20 having side walls 20a, a back wall 29b, a bottom wall 200, and a top wall 20d; These walls are preferably formed as a unitary structure and this retort is carried by a supporting base 2| having the form illustrated particularly in Figs. 1 and 3. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a baffle plate 22 is secured to and spaced upwardly from the bottom 20c of the retort and a steam inlet pipe 23 leads into the retort through the bottom wall beneath the baffle so that the steam spreads out beneath the bafile plate and then passes upwardly around the edges of this plate which are located inwardly from the outer walls and the door of the retort. An outlet pipe 24 leads outwardly from the middle point of the bottom wall 200 and this wall 290 may be sloped slightly toward the outlet 24 in order to carry away the condensate by gravity. The front opening of the retort 29 is closed by a door 25 which is adapted to be reversed in its position, as above referred to, and which is provided on opposite sides with rubber sealing strips 26 adapted to engage the front edges of the walls 29a, 2110 and 20d of the retort in order to provide a fluid-tight closure. These sealing strips are tapered slightly from their inner surfaces toward their outer surfaces and are held in place by inner retaining members 21 and by outer sealing members 28 which have bevelled surfaces corresponding to those of the strips 26. The door 25 is made up of opposite steel plates 25a which are spaced apart by I-beams b. These parts are welded together and the space between the plates 25a is filled with heat insulating material. The outer margins of the outer flanges of each I-beam 251) are connected by end plates 250 having their edges welded thereto. The retaining strips 21 are welded to the plates 25a and the strips 28 are secured by studs 29 to the plates 25a so that a rigid door structure is formed for providing a tight closure for the retort 20 and for supporting the hosiery forms 30.

One set of forms 30 is mounted on each face of the door 25, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. The forms 30 and their mounting are similar to those disclosed in said Letters Patent No. 2,451,- 978. Each form comprises a supporting bracket 3| and the several forms of each grou are carried by a supporting frame 32 attached to the adjacent face of the door 25. Each bracket 3! comprises a U-shaped socket 3Ia adapted to rest upon a supporting rod 33 which extends transversely of the frame 32 and this frame also carries a transverse rod 34 extending parallel to the face of the drawings which is adapted to be engaged by the hook-shaped members 3 lb formed on .the brackets 3| when the forms 30 are tilted away from the door for stripping or boarding purposes. The inner positions of the forms, which are illustrated in Fig. 3, are limited and determined by transverse rods 35 carried by the frame 32. In this manner, two sets of hosiery treating and drying forms are mounted on the opposite faces of the door 25 and either set of forms may be projected into the cavity of the retort when the other set is on the outside of the door to be worked upon by the operator. The horizontal area of the chamber of the retort may be only slightly greater than that necessary to accommodate a set of forms 30 and their supporting structure when the door is closed with these parts projecting into the retort, so that the volume of steam required for treating the hosiery on the forms is substantially limited as compared with former practice.

The door 25 is supported by a lower supporting arm 48 and an upper supporting arm 4|, both of which are pivotally mounted upon a vertical shaft 42 having its lower end journalled in a bearing 43 and provided with a collar 44 which rests upon the bearing 43 and also supports the hub of the arm 40, thus providing support for the arm and for the door 25 which is carried by the arm 40 through the agency of a trunnion 45 fixed to the lower transverse portion of the door frame and journalled in the outer hub portion 4% of the arm. A collar 46 is mounted between the hub portion 40a and a collar 41 secured upon the upper end of the trunnion 45, thus furnishing a thrust bearing for the door and its lower end. The upper end of the shaft 42 is journalled in an arm 48 secured to the upper wall of the retort by welding or the like and the extremity of the shaft 42 above the arm 48 is journalled in the outer hub portion 4|a of the arm 4|. The inner end of this arm has a hub portion 4 lb which has journalled thereon a trunnion 50 secured to the upper part of the door frame for supporting and guiding the door as it is moved to and from its closed position.

In order to guide the door and to permit it to :be rotated about a vertical axis determined by the axis of the aligning trunnions 45 and 50, there is provided a guiding structure which is illustrated particularly in Figs. 2 and 3 and which is mounted on the top of the retort 20 through supporting legs '56. The legs 56 are attached to plates 51 which have secured thereto a transverse bar 58 and from this bar there extends in a forward direction a pair of parallel arms 59 to the forward ends of which there is secured an arcuate member 60 which forms a complete circle except for a gap 60a formed therein on the side thereof which is directed toward the upper part of the retort. A pair of spaced guides El and 62 are secured to the bar 58 and to the arms 59 and extend in a direction forwardly of the retort for guiding the door as it is moved to and from it closed position. The member 5| has its outer extremity flared outwardlyin arcuate fashion as shown at Em and the outer end of the other guide .62 is similarly flared outwardly as shown in 6211 but this part is of greater extent than the portion 6m. These curved portions serve as tracks for rollers which engage them during the rotation of the door as hereinafter described.

The upper end of the spindle 50 engages the hub 66a of a bar 65 to which it is rigidly secured. The bar 66 extends at right angles to the vertical plane of the door 25 and has secured to the opposite ends thereof upwardly extending spindles 61 on which are rotatably mounted the guide rollers 68. At intermediate points on opposite sides of the axis of the spindle 50, the bar 66 is divided with upwardly extending spindles -69 on which are rotatably mounted two rollers 10 adapted to revolve within the arcuate guide number 60 when the door is rotated.

Upon referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that either of the rollers 68 is adapted to travel between the guide members iii and 62 when the door .25 is moved inwardly to its closed position. When the door is reversed, the other roller ts serves this guiding function. When the door is moved outwardly so that both of the rollers 58 are out of engagement with the straight portions of the guide members 61 and 62, the door may be rotated about the vertical axis of the spindles 45 and 50 as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. One of the rollers 58 is then adapted to travel upon the .arcuate portions 81a and 62a of the guide members and at the same time the rollers 10 travel inside of' the arcuate guide member 80. When the door has been reversed, it may then be moved inwardly again to its closed position with the other roller 68 travelling inwardly between the guide members 6! and 62. In this way, the door may be conveniently operated to position either set of forms 30 within the chamber of the retort 20.

The back wall 20b of the retort 2G is provided with an upper opening Zlle which serves as an inlet for hot air which is admitted after the steam treatment of the articles on the forms in the retort, and this back wall 2% also has a lower opening 20 through which the steam, air and water condensate are exhausted during the drying operation. The opening 20c communicates With an inlet conduit H having flanges 1 la which are secured by bolts 72 to a plate 13 having formed therein a port 13a through which the hot air is admitted to the inlet conduit. This .port 13a is adapted to be closed by a gate valve 15 having a rubber sealing ring 1517. around its margin to engage the surface of the plate 13 when the valve is closed. The valve is adapted to open by the action of gravity and it is closed by suit able operating connections comprising an arm 16 attached to the inner face of the valve member and pivotally connected to an operating link 11 which extends through the port 13a whenthe Valve is open. The other end of the link 11 is pivotallyconnected 'to a bell crank lever 18 which is pivotally supported at 19 on a bracket 80 carried by the plate 13. The other arm of the bell crank lever 18 is pivotally connected at Bl to an operating rod 32 which extends downwardly at the rear of the retort. I

Hot air is directed to the port 130. through a tubular member 84a of rectangular cross section which forms a part of the casing of a heater unit 84. The part 84a has a flangesecured to'the plate 13 and it is adapted to convey hot air which is heated in the unit 84 by the action of steam coils, not illustrated, which are supplied with steam through the inlet pipe 85 and the outlet pipe 86. On the side thereof opposite the outlet conduit 84a, the heater unit 84 is provided with an opening bounded by an angle bar 88 which is attached to the mouth of a centrifugal fan or blower 89 adapted to be operated by an electric motor 90. When the motor is in operation air is forced through the heater unit 94 and the hot air is then discharged through the port 13a and the inlet conduit 1| to the interior of the retort 20, assuming that the gate valve 15 is then open.

The other opening 20 in the lower part of the back wall of the retort communicates with an outlet conduit 92 which has a flange 92a connected by bolts 93 with a metal plate 94. A gasket 95 is seated between these connected parts to provide a fluid-tight joint and the plate 94 is provided with a central opening 94a which serves as an outlet port for the hot air, steam and con.- densation which is discharged from the retort 20 when the blower 89 is in operation. The port 94a is adapted to be closed by a gate valve 96 which normally occupies an open position by gravity as shown in Fig. 8. The gate valve 90 is pivotally mounted at its lower edge on the plate 94 and is provided with an annular sealing ring 9611 of rubber or the like which forms a fluid-tight connection with the surface of the plate 94 when the valve is closed. This valve is adapted to be moved to the closed position through a bracket 91 which is mounted on its inner side and pivotally connected with a link 98 adapted to extend through the opening 94a and having its other end pivotally connected at 99 to a bell crank lever I which is pivoted at IOI on a supporting bracket I02 carried by the plate 94. The other arm of the bell crank lever is pivotally connected at I03 to the previously mentioned rod 82 and it is also pivotally connected at this point to a link I04 which extends downwardly into the cavity of the supporting base 2I where it is pivotally connected to an operating lever I05. This lever is pivoted at I06 on a pedestal I01 and it carries at its free end a roller Ia adapted to be operated by a cam I08, the actuation of which will be hereinafter described. When the gate valve 96 is open, the air, steam and water of condensation within the retort is permitted to discharge through an exhaust conduit III] which is connected to the plate 94 through an intermediate annular flanged member III. This exhaust conduit may extend to any suitable point where its contents may be discharged.

Having described the retort and its reversible door, as well as the means by which steam and hot air are admitted to the retort, reference will now be made to the mechanism by which the door is operated and the means by which the admission of steam and hot air is controlled.

In order to secure the door 25 in its fully 8 closed position preliminary to the operation of the clamping mechanism by which the door may be more securely held against the steam pressure to be set up within the retort, the door is provided on opposite sides with latch mechanism designated generally by the numeral H 5 and illustrated particularly in Figs. 3, 15 and 16. Each door latch comprises two relatively movable latch members one of which is adapted to secure the door in closed position in one position of the door, while the other is adapted to secure the door in closed position when it has been reversed by rotation about its vertical axis. One of these latch members I'IB comprises two parallel members IIBa, which are connected at one end of the structure by a bolt II1 having a handle I I8 mounted thereon. At their other ends, these members IIBa are connected by a. bolt H9. At an intermediate point, the members Illia are provided with hub portions II6b journalled upon a shaft I20 which has its ends secured in brackets I2I fixed to the end plates 25a of the door. One of the arms ll6a of this latch member is provided with a plate I22 having a. projecting tooth I22a provided with a bevelled edge I22b. This plate is adapted to interlock with a plate I23 attached to the side of the retort when the door is closed. As the door moves to its closed position, the bevelled edge I22b is adapted to ride over the edge of the locking plate I23 and then snap into position behind it in response to the action of a coil spring I24 which is attached at one end to a pin I2 5 carried by the member H6 and at its other end to a pin fixed on the door.

The other latching device of the unit 5 comprises two bars I21 and I28 which are located between the bars H611 and which are welded or otherwise secured to a tubular member I29 adapted to revolve upon the shaft I29. Both of the bars I21 and I2 8 extend in one direction from the tubular member I29 and having their free ends welded to a tubular handle I30 which is mounted around the intermediate portion of the bolt H9, so that it is capable of tilting movement with respect to the frame H6 to the extent permitted by the difference beween its internal diameter and the outside diameter of the bolt H9. The arm I21 of this latching device extends from the tubular hub portion I29 in a direction opposite to the handle portion I30 and it has secured thereto a latch plate I3I having an extending hook portion |3ICL provided with a bevelled edge I3Ib. When the door is closed with the handle I I8 directed toward the retort, the bevelled edge Hill) of the member I3I is adapted to ride over the edge of the locking plate E2301 and thus latch the door in its closed position. The tooth I3! is adapted to be snapped into its locking position by the action of a coil spring I92 which is mounted in a cup-shaped member I33 carried by one arm IIfia of the member H6 and arranged to engage a flange I34a extending laterally from a bracket I34 which is mounted on the short arm of the bar I21. A pin I35 is seated in the flange I34a and retains the spring I32 in position. By this arrangement one or the other of the latching devices of each unit H5 will engage the locking flanges [23 and I230, at one side of the door when the door is closed so that the door will be held in its fully closed position preliminary to the operation ,of the clamping mechanism which isnow to be described.

9 tort 20, the clamping mechanism for the door, the means for controlling the admission and exhaust of hot air, and the operating mechanism are enclosed by an outer shell or housing I36 which has front panels I36a. extending laterally from the edges of the door, side panels itiib, a rear panel I360, and a top panel Iilfid, all of which are spaced from the retort 2% to the extent required to provide ample space within the shell or housing for the parts enclosed thereby. The door 25 is adapted to be secured in closed position against the action of the steam pressure within the retort by a series of clamping devices I40 each of which includes a clamping member I4I having an L-shaped arm I ila extending through an opening IEiie in the front panel I36a of the housing. The extremity l llb of each clamping member is adapted to hook over the edge of the door 25 when the clamping member is in its operating position, as shown in Fig. 4, and each part I4Iib is provided with a contact screw I42 which may be adjusted to make proper contact at its inner end with the face of the outer door plate and which may be secured in adjusted position by a lock nut I43. These clamping devices I41: are spaced apart at intervals vertically along the retort so that the door is securely clamped at a plurality of points along both vertical edges, there being six such clamping devices along each edge of the door in the embodiment illustrated.

Each clamping device i4!) also includes an actuating member I 44 which is pivotally mounted at M3 on a supporting bracket I46 welded to a side wall 26a of the. retort. The clamping member I=lI of each clamping device is pivoted at I45 on the member I44 and a coil spring i4! is secured at one end to a pin I48 on the clamping member i 'iI and at the other end to a pin M8 on the actuating member I44. The clamping member MI is also provided with an angular arm Mic which is engaged at its free end by a coil spring I!) seated in a tubular recess I5Ia formed in. a boss 55! which is attached to the rearwardly extending arm I44a of the actuating member. The extent to which relative movement of the members MI and I44 may take place in response to the action of the spring I5!) is limited by the engagement of the inner part of the member I4I with the pin ME. The rearwardly extending arm 544a of each actuating member I44 is provided with a roller I53 which is adapted to ride upon the surface of a cam I54 mounted upon a vertical cam shaft I55. One of these shafts is located at each side of the retort and is journalled in bearings carriedby the brackets I46 as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4. Upon rotation of the cam i54 in the. direction indicated by the arrow Hit, shown inFi'g. l, the. actuating member $44 is operated to cause an angular movement of the member 44 and the member MI about the pivot. 43 so that the forward end of the clamping member is thereby tilted from the position shown in Fig. 5 to a position where the extremity Iib of the clamping member is positioned in front of the forward plate 25a. of the door. Upon continued motion of the cam IN, the pivot M5 is carried around pivot I43 to cause the clamping member I4! to move bodily inward until the contact screw I42 on the free end of the clamping member engages the out r face of he door as shown in Fig. 4. The clamping operation is then completed with the roller E58 engaging the high point on the cam I54 and the parts remain in this clamped position during the 10 period that high pressure steam is contained within the retort 20. At the end of the treating operation, the rotation of the cams I54 is resumed and when the roller I53 engages the low point on the cam, as shown in Fig. 5, the clamping member 54! again moves to a position from the door, as shown in Fig. 5, under the influence of a coil spring ifii, connected to an arm 58 projecting rearwardly from the rearwardly extending arm Hi ls of the actuating member. Two of the springs it? for clamping units at opposite sides of the retort are connected at the rear of th retort through a rod I 59. During the operation of the clamping mechanism, the spring I of each clamping unit permits some relative movement of the parts I4! and I44, in case there is interference with the free movement of the outer end of the clamping member, and the movement of the clamping member I4I toward the clamping position shown in Fig. 4 is limited by a stop screw Ifiil mounted in a bar IEI attached to the side of the retort and held in adjusted position by a set screw 5&2.

There is a vertical cam shaft I55 at each side of the retort as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and each of theseshafts has fixed thereon a plurality of the clamp operating cams i54 which are spaced apart as shown in Fig. 3. The two shafts E55 are adapted to be operated by a mechanism contained within the cavity of the supporting base or frame i2! and illustrated particularly in Figs. 6 to 14a, inclusive. Upon referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that each shaft IE5 is provided at its lower end with a relatively fixed bevelled gear i655, each of which meshes with another bevelled gear its mounted upon a transverse shaft I61 which is journalled in bearings I68 fixed on the frame structure 2i. The shaft I ii! has fixed thereon a gear 569 which meshes with another gear 575 fixed upon one shaft Illa of a power transmission unit IlI. A transversely extending output shaft ii Eb of the unit iii has fixed thereon a collar Hi2 and a clutch. member H3 splined on the shaft il'ib is separated from the member i'i'2 by a coil spring I'M mounted around the shaft. Another coil spring I extends'between a pin l'i'fi on the collar I12 and another pin IT! on the clutch member I73 and tends to move the members 572 and I73 toward each other. The clutch member H3 is provided with a series of clutch teeth H30 which are adapted to interlock with other clutch teeth Ilsa formed on another clutch member 978 which is fixed upon a shaft H90. forming a part of a power transmission unit i'iil which has its other shaft Il'ilb connected through a coupling its with the shaft 535 of a driving motor I882. The motor I82 may be an electric motor which is in continuous operation while the retort is in use and when the clutch members H3 and ill? are engaged, the motor serves to drive the horizontal shaft It? and also the two vertical cam shafts I55.

The previously described cam ifit, shown in Fig. 8, which operates to close the valves or louvers '55 and is mounted upon the horizontal shaft it? and this shaft also operates to control the actuation of the cam shafts I55 through the clutch members H3 and i'IS. For this purpose,

the clutch member lid is provided with an annular groove llilb. shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which is engaged by the ball shaped ends of the bifurcated extremity i851; of a clutch lever I85 which is pivoted at Edi; on a supporting bracket I87. This clutch lever is provided with an enlarged extremity 5852) having a flat top and this end 14, inclusive.

of the lever also carries a pin I88 which is connected to a coil spring I89 having its other extremity attached to the casing of the motor I82 bers tend normally to separate, independently of the spring I89, due to the wedging action of the bevelled edges of the clutch teeth I13a and I181.

After the teeth are disengaged by their own coaction, the spring I89 serves to effect a further movement of the clutch lever I85 to insure against any contact of the ends of the clutch teeth during the rotation of the clutch member I18.

The clutch member I13 is adapted to be moved into engagement with the clutch member I18 by the action of a solenoid I90 which has a magnetizable core I98a connected by a rod I9I with a bracket I92 fixed on the long arm of the clutch lever I85. The rod I9I is capable of being adjusted in length so that a precise degree of travel of the clutch member I13 may be obtained. When the solenoid I90 is energized as hereinafter described, the clutch lever I85 is moved toward the right as viewed in Fig. 6, and the clutch member I13 is thereby caused to engage the clutch member I 18, whereupon the shaft I81 and the two cam shafts I55 are driven.

In order to hold the clutch lever I85 in a posi- 1 tion wherein the clutch members are engaged,

after the lever has been moved to that position by the energization of the solenoid I98, means are I provided for engaging the end portion I851) of the clutch lever to lock it in that position. This means comprises two latch levers I95 and I96 which are shown particularly in Figs. 8 and 9 to The two latch levers are mounted on a common pivot I91 carried by a bracket I98 which is secured to a part of the supporting base 2|. The lever I95 is provided at its inner end I with a depending hook portion I95a which is adapted to interlock with the edge of the portion I 85b of the clutch lever to hold the clutch members engaged and the other latch lever I98 is similarly provided with a depending hook portion I 9801 which is also-adapted to drop down and engage the clutch lever for the same purpose. The latch levers are normally actuated to move the hook portions I95a and I98a downwardly into engagement with the clutch lever I85 by the action of coil springs I99 which are attached to the levers at the left of the pivot point I91, as viewed in Figs. 6 and 9 and which are connected at their upper ends to a stationary bracket I99a. The

; latch lever I95 is provided at its inner end with an upwardly extending tooth I951) and a similar tooth I98b is formed upon the inner end of the other latch lever I98. These teeth are adapted to be engaged by tripping pins 280, 20I and 292 which extend laterally from one face of a tripping disc 203 which is keyed upon the horizontal shaft I81. As the disc 203 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 284 shown in Fig. 9, the pins 298,

291 and 282 are caused to actuate the latch engaged and the rotation of the shafts I81 and I55 and of the cams mounted thereon is arrested. The tripping pins on the disc 283 are located to 1 effect the release of the clutch lever I85 in the proper sequence and timed relation to the various operations which are brought about by other parts of the apparatus, including the clamping of the doors and the operation of the louvers of the hot air system so that a complete cycle of operations is automatically effected as hereinafter described.

Some of the parts of the improved setting apparatus are illustrated somewhat diagrammatically in Fig. 17 which is intended primarilyto show the connections for supplying and exhausting steam. As shown in this drawing, the compact arrangement of the apparatus of each unit permits a plurality of units to be arranged side by side and to be connected to the steam supply in parallel relationship so that a number of units of the apparatus may be operated conveniently at the same time. The supply of steam under pressure for all of the units is furnished by a supply pipe 2I8 which is arranged at the rear of the retorts. A branch pipe 2 II leads from the main supply pipe through a manually operated valve 2I2 and to this pipe there is connected the previously mentioned supply pipe by which steam is supplied to the air heater 84. Between the connection of the pipe 85 and the retort another manually operated valve 2I3 is connected in the supply pipe 2! I and also an electrically operated steam inlet valve 2 I 5 which is automatically controlled to supply the steam to the retort 20 through the pipe 2 which leads to the inlet opening 23 previously referred to. The outlet port 24 in the bottom of the retort is connected with a steam exhaust pipe 2I8 which has connected therein the electrically operated steam outlet valve 2I1. A branch pipe H8 is connected to the pipe 2I8 between the retort and the valve 2I'I so that water condensation may flow off through this branch pipe which is adapted to be automatically opened when an excess of water is present through the actuation of a thermostatically operated valve 2 I9 connected in this branch pipe and responsive to the temperature of the water therein.

A pipe 220 leading through the rear wall of the retort is connected to a pressure control switch 22! which is connected in the circuit hereinafter described and which is adapted to be actuated by the steam pressure in the retort for controlling the start of the timing period during which the steam is active in treating the articles on the forms. Another pipe 224 leads from the inlet conduit H to a pressure gauge 225 and two safety valves 228. These valves are adapted to relieve the pressure in the retort at the inlet of the steam supply when the steam pressure is excessive. At the rear of each air heater 84, there is provided a pipe 221 leading from the outlet steam pipe 88 through a trap 228 so that any condensate of steam collecting in the bottom of the water heater and in the exhaust pipe may flow out at this point.

The electric circuit for controlling the operation of the setting apparatus is shown somewhat diagrammatically in Figs. 181a and 18b. As there shown the electric current is furnished from a source of supply through line conductors 238 and 23I which have connected therein the fuses 232 and which lead to the double-pole main switch 233. When this switch is closed the circuit is completed to the main driving motor I82 which operates continuously during the desired series of cycles of operation of the apparatus.

Assuming that a number of articles of hosiery have been placed on the forms 30 on one side of. the do.or"25 and;that. the. doorhas; been moved to.-closediposition where it is held by the latches I I5, theaction of closing the door willhave'oper ated to 0108611118 switches Z-M and 235. which are safety switches connected in the-circuit and positioned adjacent thedoor toprevent the steam. inlet valve 2-I5and other devices from being operated whenthe door is open;

There is also connected in the circuit a manu. ally operated push button switch 236 which is operated to. initiate each cycle of operations of.- the apparatus. The closing of: this switch energizes the holding relay 2-31 and also the clutch operating solenoid I90; thereby causing the clutchmembers Il3- and I18 to engage and startingthe rotation of the shafts I61 and: I55. When the clutchmembers are engaged they are heldengaged by the teeth IBM and I951) of the: latch levers which drop down to: the positions; shown in Fig. 10. The rotation of theshafts; I55 actuates the cams I54; thereby moving the clamping devices I40 from the'positionshown in Fig: 5: to

the clamping position shown in Fig; 4 wherebythe door 25' is held: securely: in closed. position; At that point a cam 238" on theshaft I55 at the righthand side of the retort (see Fig; 3) closes a switch 246i (see l'Sfl') which completes the. circuit of the solenoid operated'steam inlet. valve 215, thereby allowing; steam to: enter the retort through the inlet port 23. Just before the-steam is admitted. the cam I88 reaches; the: position shown in Fig. and closes the louver-s and 96 (seeFig. 8): which are'then heldirnclosed position by the pressure of the steam during: the. steam treating period.

As soon as the louvers are closed'andthe: steam is admitted,.the clutch members I-I3., [.7583 are dis-- engaged and the rotation of. the: shafts I155: and IG'I is arrested. This is. effected by the; latch levers I95 and I96? which are actuatledinsuocession by the pin 200 onv the tripping disc. 293: in the manner illustrated in Figs. 11" and: 12. The pin 200 first engages the v'-shaped tip I851]; of. the lever I95 and depresses it, thereby raising the tooth I95w of this. lever out of engagement. with the clutch lever I85" as. shown; in Fig; 11'. The lever I85 then moves over into. engagement with the tooth I9Iia of the'otherl'atch' lever, whichv is farther. away from the pivotal. axis Ia? of;

the levers than the tooth less; and the: clutch teeth Ild'ar and Him partially disengagedue' to. their wedging action on: each other, as shown in- Fig. l-la. As the pin 200. continues its traveLit depresses the: tip Iz96b and disengagesithe-tooth I951 from the lever I-85; whereupon. the clutch members move to the fully open position shown in Fig. 12:1, in which relative positions they are held by the spring I88, and the end Iilfib'of the clutch lever assumes a position beneath both. of the teeth. I'95a and: I'95b', as shown. in Fig. 1-2. This movement of the clutch lever I85 at. this. stage i permitted because the circuit of the. clutch engaging solenoid L90 isthen: broken by. a cam 2M fixed 011213118 right-hand shaft I 55; which opens a normally closed switch 242 at thelproper time, thereby breaking the circuit of the solenoid switch- I90;

When the temperature in the retort: has risen to the desired amount, as indicated'by the ther-- mometer 243 shown in Fig. 17; following. the a'dr" mission of steam as described above; the thermo-- statically operated temperature. controller 244-, shown in Fig. 18a, acts through the relay 24am. complete the circuit of the treating timer. are

which then operates for a predetermined. inter val, according to itssetting. to determine the duration of. the steam treatment of the. fabric articlesv onthe forms in theretort.

At the end of the predetermined interval, which may be two or two and one-half minutes, for example; the timer 24'6. operates to energize the steam exhaust Valve- 2I l through a normally closed: relay 243 and at the same time the fan" motor is started in operation to drive hot air into theretort. When the steam pressure inthe retort is thus relieved, the pressure switch 22-! (see Fig. 17 and Fig. 18a) closes to complete the circuit of the fan timer 2-50 by which the durationv of the hot air treatment is determined. At the same time the clutch solenoid I9!) is again energizedthrough the relay 25I and the normally closed switch 252 controlled by a cam 2 53 on the right-hand shaft I55, thereby-operating. to engage the clutch members I13 and? H8, so that the shafts I6! and? I55 are again rotated. The clutchjmembers, are; then held. engaged as before by the: teeth Ia. and. I96 tr of the latch levers which drop behind the clutch lever as shown in Fig. 13. As the fan control cam I88 rotates, the roller I050 (Figs. 8 and 13') drops into" the de-' pression I'OBa of the. cam and permits the louvers orgate valves I5 and 96, which are-now relieved ofv steampressure, to drop by gravity to. the open positions shown in Fig. 8.

When. the louvers have been opened and the fan motor started in operation,v the latch levers: I95. and I96. are tripped by thepin' 2M of the trippingdiscs, thus permitting the c1utch:mem-- bers I13 and I13 to disengage while; the clutch; lever I85 again moves to a position beneath. the latch lever teeth New and IBM, as, shownin Fig. 14. The flow of hot air through the. retort 20.- for drying purposes then continues for a predetermined interval determined by the setting of thef'an control. timer 2 .50.. Atv the end of that interval; the timer 25.8 operates toenergize the relay 25! through aswitch 255which is controlledby. a cam 2.5.8 fixedv on the shaft I55. shown in Fig; 3., thus' again energizingthe clutch solenoid: I88 to engage the clutch members H3, H8 and cause: 2,. new rotation of shafts I55 and I 6*! during which theclutch lever Iii-5 is held: in the: operated position by. the latch levers. I85. and. use. the teeth of which drop. behind the part I85a; of the. lever as previously described; As. the shafts rotate the cams. I54 cause the clampingj devices I40 to move to the positions shown these parts at the. conclusion of acycle. Atthis stage all: of the pa-rts are fully restored to their initial positionsand, after releasing the latches I15, reversing the door and. moving the other set of forms into-theretort, anew cycle of operations may be started by again actuating the switch 236.

The circuit shown in Figs. 18a and 18b also comprises arelay 25%) which is connectedv to'con trol'the. steam inlet valve 235 so-that, if. the temperature in. the retort falls below the setting. of'

the temperature controller 244 this relay opdoors, the latch levers I 9.5- and I-95 are 

